LAS VEGAS (CN) — The case surrounding four teens accused of killing Las Vegas high schooler Jonathan Lewis Jr. may soon end, with prosecutors announcing a plea deal Thursday.
Gianni Robinson, Damien Hernandez, Treavion Randolph and Dontral Beaver, agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter in juvenile court. The four, who were aged 16 to 17 at the time of the crime, previously faced second-degree murder charges and were set to be tried as adults.
At a pretrial conference Thursday, prosecutors emphasized that for the plea deal to go through, all defendants must agree to plead guilty to the new charge. Hernandez, who was released on bail, would have to return to custody as part of the deal.
An amended indictment filed after the hearing details the charge, accusing the four of killing Lewis "willfully, unlawfully, feloniously, without malice and without deliberation."
Prosecutors did not discuss sentencing at the conference, but voluntary manslaughter is punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The attack, which took place on Nov. 1, 2023, was captured on cellphone and surveillance video and spread widely on social media. In the video, Lewis appears to throw the first punch, after which 10 people, including Robinson, Hernandez, Randolph and Beaver, attack Lewis for about 30 seconds, leaving him lying on the ground.
After the attack, doctors at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada placed Lewis on life support but determined he had suffered "nonsurvivable brain trauma" and declared him brain dead a week later. He would have graduated from Rancho High School in May 2024.
Investigators determined that the fight started over a pair of stolen headphones and a vape pen. Friends of Lewis have claimed he was trying to help a smaller student who was being bullied. Defense attorneys argued Lewis instigated the fight and that their clients acted in self-defense.
Three younger classmates, whose names have not been officially released, also pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Two other defendants still face murder charges — one possibly as an adult. The tenth person involved in the attack has not been identified.
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